Page 130 - Lok Sabha Elections

126,000 people joined BJP in MP on Sat; 258,000 in 3 months: Mishra

About 1.26 lakh people joined the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Madhya Pradesh on Saturday, a senior party leader claimed here. More than 2.58 lakh people have joined the saffron party in the state over the past three months, and most of them were from Congress, said former minister Narottam Mishra. "Over 1.26 lakh people including members of Congress, social organisations and others joined the BJP today," he said. Notably, the saffron party celebrated its foundation day on Saturday. "More than 90 percent of those who have joined the BJP are from Congress, and the rest are from social organisations, retired employees and officials, and people from different walks of life," said Mishra who heads the BJP team responsible for new entrants. They were influenced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's personality, leadership, the development works carried out by his government and nationalism, he said. Earlier in the day, three-time former Congress MLA from Ghatiya (Ujjain ...

PM Modi, CM Yogi hold roadshow in Ghaziabad ahead of Lok Sabha elections

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday held a roadshow in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad in support of BJP candidate Atul Garg. In his first roadshow in the state since the announcement of the Lok Sabha polls last month, the prime minister was joined by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Garg in an open jeep as Modi waved at the enthusiastic lot of supporters. The roadshow started from the Maliwad Chowk and will culminate at Chaudhary Mod. The district administration has made elaborate security arrangements for the event including the deployment of large number of personnel and enforcing traffic diversions. This is the prime minister's first roadshow in Uttar Pradesh after the announcement of Lok Sabha elections. Braving the harsh sun, the supporters had been waiting on the road since the afternoon as drums and bands kept them engaged. As the prime minister's vehicle moved slowly on the road, people lining on the both sides of the road showered flowers on him and raised ...

LS polls 'not fair' but despite that, INDIA bloc will get majority: Ramesh

The Lok Sabha polls are "not fair" with opposition parties being targeted but despite that, the INDIA bloc will get a clear majority in the elections due to the public response to its "five nyay, 25 guarantees", senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said on Saturday. He also said the people of the country will "decisively reject" all attempts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make the elections "unfree and unfair". There is a strong undercurrent of "enough of das saal anyay kaal" (10 years of injustice), the Congress general secretary said. Ramesh also hit out at Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh over their recent remarks about the country being a "new India", which strikes inside enemy territory, saying these are "diversionary tactics" aimed at taking the focus away from the Congress' "real narrative" of "paanch nyay, pachees guarantees" and the manifesto. Asked about the fairness of the polls, Ramesh said, "This election is not fair with action being taken against opposition

BJP won't win even 200 seats in LS polls as per RSS survey: Priyank Kharge

Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge on Saturday claimed the BJP, according to an internal survey of the RSS, will not win even 200 seats in the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls and won't cross even eight seats in the state. Accusing Union Home Minister Amit Shah of "lying", for his recent statement alleging delay on the part of the state government in submission of a proposal to the Centre seeking drought relief, he said Shah should have been the "Minister of misinformation". "RSS' internal survey says they (BJP) won't get even 200 seats. RSS is saying it. In the state, they won't cross even eight seats. How will they win, in fourteen to fifteen seats there is internal fighting (in BJP)," Kharge claimed. Speaking to reporters here, he said several senior BJP leaders are even speaking about the need to cleanse the party. "They (some BJP leaders) are saying that the BJP (in the state) is polluted because of one family. They are saying they want to reinstall the original BJP. Are we (Congres

Congress manifesto bears imprint of Muslim League, says PM; Cong replies

Addressing an election rally in Saharanpur, PM Modi said people of the country feel that the Congress which fought for the country's independence was finished decades back

PM Narendra Modi tore apart country's dignity, hurt democracy: Sonia Gandhi

Senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi on Saturday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of tearing apart the country's dignity and democracy and claimed that various tactics were being used to force opposition leaders to join the BJP. Addressing an election event of the party here, the former Congress chief claimed that for the last 10 years, the country has been in the hands of a government that left no stone unturned to promote unemployment, inflation, economic crisis and inequality. "Today our country's democracy is in danger. Democratic institutions are being destroyed and a conspiracy is being hatched to change our Constitution," she alleged, adding, "This is a dictatorship and we all will give a reply to this." "Considering himself great, Modi ji is tearing apart the dignity of the country and its democracy," Sonia Gandhi said. Addressing the event earlier, the party's national general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra referred to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and former ..

Traders at Manipur's women-run Ima market question relevance of elections

Amidst the lingering aftermath of ethnic conflicts, the women traders at Manipur's iconic 'Ima market' -- the only market in the world run entirely by women -- have expressed a deafening lack of enthusiasm towards the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Questioning the relevance of the electoral process amidst the ongoing turmoil, the women traders from various market associations, are contemplating a boycott of the polls with their major grievance being -- "the nation forgot Manipur". Nema Devi, a seasoned fish vendor at the market, reflects the sentiment shared by many, emphasising the absence of tangible change despite months of unrest. "Even 11 months after the violence, there has not been a resolution and no restoration of peace. We continue to live by the rule of taking one day at a time. Living in continuous fear and going ahead with our usual lives. "What will change with the elections? The nation, the government, everybody forgot Manipur," 52-year-old Devi, who has been running

Election 2024: Eknath Shinde's son Shrikant to contest from Kalyan seat

Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis says that the BJP will firmly back Shrikant Shinde and will get him elected with more margin than last election

LS polls: Congress announces candidates for North, South Goa seats

The Congress on Saturday announced the names of former Union minister Ramakant Khalap and Viriato Fernandes as its candidates for the North and South Goa Lok Sabha seats. All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary K C Venugopal made the announcement ending the INDIA bloc's prolonged wait for its candidates in Goa. The alliance comprising more than two dozen opposition parties has agreed to field Congress candidates from both the Lok Sabha constituencies in the coastal state. Khalap (76) was elected as an MP on the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) ticket from North Goa from 1996-1998. He was the Union minister of state for law in late prime minister Rajiv Gandhi's cabinet. He later left the MGP to join Congress. As a law minister then, Khalap worked for the enactment of the Arbitration Act of India and drafted amendments to the Code of Civil Procedure of India and the Code of Criminal Procedures of India. He also introduced the Women's Reservation Bill in ...

INDIA alliance is for commission, NDA is on mission: PM Narendra Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the opposition INDIA bloc's aim is to earn commission after coming to power while the BJP-led NDA is on a mission. Addressing an election rally in Saharanpur, Modi said the opposition alliance was fighting the upcoming Lok Sabha elections just to stop the BJP from winning more than 370 seats. "During its rule, the Congress' focus was on earning commissions. The INDI alliance too aims to earn commission after coming to power but the NDA and Modi sarkar is on a mission," Modi said. "The opposition is fighting just to stop the BJP from winning more than 370 seats. The Samajwadi Party is changing candidates every hour while the Congress can't even find candidates to field," Modi said. "The Congress does not have the courage to field candidates even in those seats which are considered its stronghold," he added. Modi said the Congress manifesto bears a Muslim League imprint and part of it is dominated by leftists. The prime minister said th

LS polls: Nominations of 16 candidates found invalid for second phase in MP

The nomination forms of 93 candidates were found to be valid, while 16 were rejected during the scrutiny of papers for the second phase of Lok Sabha elections in Madhya Pradesh, poll officials said on Saturday. These 16 rejected nominations include that of the opposition INDIA bloc nominee and Samajwadi Party's (SP) Khajuraho candidate Meera Yadav. Yadav's form was declared invalid by the returning officer on Friday. Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Anupam Rajan said candidates are allowed to withdraw their forms till April 8. The nominations of 93 candidates are valid, while those of 16 candidates were found invalid during the scrutiny on Friday, Rajan said. Seven seats Tikamgarh (SC), Damoh, Khajuraho, Satna, Rewa, Hoshangabad and Betul (ST) will go to polls in the second phase on April 26. Union minister and sitting MP Virendra Khatik is contesting from Tikamgarh (SC). Khatik has won all three elections held in this constituency after it was carved out following delimitation in

BJP India's preferred party, people will elect it once more: PM Modi

On the 44th foundation day of the BJP, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said it has become India's preferred party and expressed confidence that people will elect it for another term at the Centre, allowing it to build on the "ground covered in the last decade". Greeting members of the BJP, he said the youth of India see it as the party which can fulfil their aspirations and provide leadership to the nation in the 21st century. Modi asserted the BJP has freed India from the culture of corruption, cronyism, casteism, communalism and vote bank politics, which was the "hallmark" of those who ruled the nation for the longest time. In today's India, emphasis is on clean and transparent governance which ensures the fruits of development reach the poor without any discrimination, he said. "Be it at the Centre or states, our party has redefined good governance. Our schemes and policies have given strength to the poor and downtrodden. Those who were left on the margins for decades .

Politics for nuclear winter

Opposition parties know better than most what they are up against. Much of the talk among them is more about where they could limit Modi, rather than having him voted out of power

Lok Sabha elections 2024: PM Modi to hold rally, roadshow in UP today

Polling for Saharanpur will be held in the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections on April 19, while Ghaziabad will poll in the second phase on April 26

LS elections: Kharge, Rahul to address poll rally in Hyderabad today

Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will be addressing a Congress rally on Saturday at Tukkuguda near here, party sources said. Tukkuguda on the outskirts of Hyderabad is where the party had earlier announced its six poll 'guarantees' for the Assembly elections held in November last year. The Congress is expected to show its strength by mobilising huge crowds from surrounding areas to the 'Jana Jatara' meeting, the sources said. Industries Minister D Sridha Babu visited the venue on Friday with others. He said that about 10 lakh people are expected to attend the meeting. He said all the arrangements have been made for the smooth conduct of the rally. Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, who is also TPCC president had earlier opined that the rally will serve as a launchpad for the INDIA bloc to come to power at the Centre in the upcoming LokSabha polls.

Tripura: Senior citizens, specially-abled can vote from home from April 9

Earlier, the Election Commission announced 'vote-from-home' facilities for citizens over 85 years of age and persons with disabilities for the Lok Sabha elections

Cong holds CEC meet with focus on Delhi seats; next list of candidates soon

Top Congress leaders met here on Friday to discuss the party's Lok Sabha poll candidates for the three seats it is contesting in Delhi, with sources saying an announcement on it would be made very soon. The Congress is in an alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi and fielding candidates in three of the seven Lok Sabha seats in the national capital. The Congress Election Committee meeting was also held for the states of West Bengal and Haryana with most of its senior leaders in attendance. The meeting was chaired by party chief Mallikarjun Kharge and attended by former party chief Sonia Gandhi, general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal, senior leaders Salman Khurshid and P L Punia, among others. The party has so far declared over 230 candidates for the Lok Sabha polls that are scheduled to commence on April 19.

LS polls: Kamal Nath aide, former Congress minister Dipak Saxena joins BJP

Former Madhya Pradesh minister and four-time Congress MLA from Chhindwara Dipak Saxena and his supporters joined the BJP on Friday night. MP Chief Minister Mohan Yadav welcomed Saxena, a close aide of senior Congress leader Kamal Nath, into the ruling party. Saxena, who quit the Congress on March 22, said he was joining the BJP as he was influenced by the works of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, CM Yadav and state BJP chief VD Sharma. Earlier, his son Ajay Saxena had joined the BJP. "The Congress has become aimless under Kamal Nath's son Nakul Nath, sitting MP from Chhindwara. My father was being marginalized and the workers too were being ignored in Chhindwara for the last six years. That is why my father took the decision to part ways with the Congress," Ajay Saxena said. Dipak Saxena had quit his Assembly seat when Kamal Nath became CM in 2018 so that latter could become an MLA. On March 29, Kamal Nath loyalist and Amarwara MLA Kamlesh Pratap Shah crossed

Job creation, MSP law: Congress manifesto vows to reset economic policy

The party omitted mentioning its promise of restoring the old pension scheme (OPS) in the manifesto

EC asks Atishi for facts to back her statement on BJP's 'poaching' bid

The Election Commission on Friday issued a show-cause notice to Delhi minister and AAP leader Atishi, asking her to back with facts her statement that the BJP approached her to join the party. The BJP moved the poll commission a day back against Atishi's "false statement" that the party had reached out to her through someone close and asked her to join it. The Election Commission notice to Atishi read, "...you are a minister in the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi and leader of a national party. The electors tend to believe whatever is being said from public forum by their leaders and in that sense the statements made by them affect the campaign discourse." The poll panel said it expects that there must be a "factual foundation" to the statements made by the AAP leader. "...when the veracity of the statements made by you is contested then you must be able to back your statements by a factual basis," it added. On April 2, the AAP leader claimed that the BJP approach